Putin, Erdogan reaffirm intention to meet in person soon

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a phone conversation, reaffirmed their intention to meet in person soon, the Kremlin said Sunday.

The Kremlin said that the two leaders talked over phone earlier in the day, during which Putin offered condolences to Erdogan over the victims in Friday's coup attempt, which killed at least 161 people and injured 1,440 others.

Putin said Russia deemed the actions "categorically unacceptable."

Putin also expressed concerns about the safety of Russian tourists travelling in Turkey, the number of which has significantly increased after Russia lifted the restrictive measures against Ankara, and Erdogan vowed to take all necessary steps in that regard, according to the Kremlin press service.

Earlier on Saturday, Turkish authorities announced that they had regained control of the country after thwarting the coup attempt by a military faction late Friday night.
Source:XINHUA